The present invention relates to techniques for using application programs each having an authentication function and provided in a device embedded with a microprocessor unit.
Spread of IC cards has started recently in full scale mainly around cash cards, commutation tickets, employee's certificates, basic resident registration cards and the like. A device embedded with a microprocessor unit (this is called a device embedded with the microprocessor unit) such as an IC card (or a smart card) is tamper resistant so that it is used also as a deposit medium for storing authentication information, a private key and the like which are used to authenticate a user of the Internet or PC. Among devices embedded with microprocessor units, there are multiple function devices each of which is embedded with a microprocessor unit and can fabricate a plurality of application programs (e.g., a multi application smart card described in MAOSCO Limited, “Welcome to MULTOS”, 2003, MAOSCO Limited, http:¥www.multos.com/library/pdf/03 05 07%20Welcome %20to%MULTOS.pdf (hereinafter called Document 1)).
If a user owes even one multi functional device embedded with a microprocessor unit, the user can use a plurality of application programs, putting the device to use convenience. From a different viewpoint, however, each application program is designed independently so that one device embedded with a microprocessor unit has a plurality of same data and functions in some cases.
If each application program has data and functions whose access control is desired to be made individually, each application program has to have individually an authentication function.
Examples of an application program is an application equipped with a public key infrastructure (PKI), an application equipped with a biometrics management function, an application equipped with an electronic money function and the like. Data and functions of these applications are not permitted to use unless a success is obtained in authentication (e.g., authentication using personal identification number (PIN)) corresponding to each application).
Therefore, when a user uses a plurality of application programs, it is required to perform a plurality of authentication operations, posing a problem of degrading the convenience of use.
One method of overcoming this problem is a method of making common all authentication functions in a device embedded with a microprocessor unit to allow a user to perform only one authentication operation (e.g., refer to JP-A-2002-298097 (hereinafter called Document 2)).